A lot of rug hooking connectivity takes place online theses days. I thrilled about this because I love my ability to meet and enjoy the heck out of so many like minded people! Thank you so much!
I'm sensitive to negativity and its terrible influence on creating and our hearts and our souls. It wears o our bodies too. I think most people have a little well of non edifying waters they take a dip in every once and awhile. But most of us shake off the dew, dry ourselves in the sunshine and carry on.
I don't like to be negative and I do like to act professionally at all times online and elsewhere
I did not always appreciate the importance of this even though Anne told me!
Every once in awhile my professional life is blurred by my private one but rarely.
What I'm saying is, there are inside voices and outside ones.
I want to caution you about the permanence of your responses online.
Even if removed ,when read they create a lasting impression of you and create a ripple effect.
If you are a rug hooking professional, teacher, business person or even a blogger with nothing to sell, you need to conduct yourself with positivity and ethics.
A lot of what happens is simply reactionary. So and so writes a blog post with emotion ( not positive) and that in turn sparks a hussah of comments that both embroider and stumpwork
( build up ) the original words and emotions.
Be careful.
Try not to partake. Write a note if you need catharsis but don't post it.
Rarely do you ever see a dissenting opinion to these missives. And frankly they aren't that welcome.
Try to be the voice of reason if you are brave enough.
I have a list of good netiquette which I find even the top bloggers in rug hooking don't adhere very much.
Please copy and spread this list around liberally. Everyone needs to see it and turn away from those who are not using good online manners.
1. Never denigrate a business or service no matter what happens if you have one yourself. NEVER.
2. Don't troll other services or blogs for good fodder without giving credit to the source, ALWAYS with links. You would be shocked at the levels at which this is happening. We are have some very popular bloggers setting a very poor examples. In the greater blogosphere rug hooking bloggers are the only people who do not do this that I've found in my areas of interest. It is very bad manners, akin to eating your snot at the dinner table with Her Majesty. Act more honorably, if the info or photos they found, wrote or researched are good enough to add to your blog or other service then don't they deserve a reference?
3. Always check with yourself before posting by asking would I want this said of me? Could I apply more understanding? Is this the seed I want to plant? What fruit will it bear? Would I want credit for my work? In my case today I asked, does this need attending to?
4. If you have a quick emotional response to something you read ..... don't react by typing. React by thinking or creating. If a day later you still think you have something important to add then have at it. I think you'll find in 10 hours much of the emotion will have dissipated. Don't feed that negativity a thing if you can help it.
5. Do not ever and I mean NEVER take up the case of defense for someone else. Every horrible firestorm I've ever observed or weathered online came about because someone got indignant on another's behalf.
I'll tell you as an added bonus, this is something to look out for.... some people get stuff going through behind the scenes manipulation and then sit back and actually enjoy the chaos, their hands nicely clean while everybody else is browned up to their ears in crap. Ohhh that stinks!
6. Don't act like spoiled babies when things aren't going the way you think they should. Change is inevitable and it is good.
Let's turn a new leaf.
Spread the word please.... with credit of course.
